A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Okuku, Osun State have ordered the remand of five persons for allegedly vandalising two transformers and stealing cables in two separate communities in the state.
The accused persons are Seun Ajayi, aged 39, Opeyemi Ariyo, 37, Afolabi Emmanuel, 23, Oyewole Mayowa, 45 and 32 year-old Adeyemo Babatunde.
The Police in the state arrested all the male defendants for alleged damaging transformers in Oyan and Iree communities in the state and carting away cables between January and February 3, 2025.
One of the defendants, Adeyemo Babatunde, was accused of receiving some electric and copper wires at paltry rate of Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N700,000:00k) from Seun Ajayi, Opeyemi Ariyo, and Afolabi Emmanuel after the trio allegedly stole them from the transformers that belonged to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
After Babatunde bought the items, the police disclosed that he re-sold them to another buyer, Oyewole Mayowa at the rate of N900,000.
When dragged to court on Thursday, the accused persons, according to the charge sheet obtained by The Point, were slammed with seven count-charge bordering on felony, stealing and reception of stolen property of which they all pleaded not guilty to.
Police prosecutor, Okeniyi Segun, an Inspector, informed the court that the accused persons committed the offences that contravened sections 516, 390(9), 317, 451, and 427 of the Criminal Code Cap 34, Vol II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
Their defence counsels, Kehinde Adepoju, Abdulrahman Oluodo and G. Oludayo, separately in their submissions, begged court to grant their clients bail, arguing that the law presumes them innocent until proven contrary.
However, the prosecutor objected the oral bail applications on the grounds that the defendants were tracked before they were arrested. Inspector Segun asked the court to take notice of the fact that cases of vandalisation of transformers are rampant in the society.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ibukun Adeniran, upheld the prosecution’s bail objections and ordered that the five accused persons be remanded in correctional centre pending the determination of the case. The matter was adjourned till April 7.
